BlackBerry today released ‘BBM Protected,’ a more secure version of its mobile messaging platform geared toward regulated industries.
The new messaging platform uses a FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic library, according to a press release.
BBM users who opt for the extra protection can use the same application for secure messages at work and use outside the company. BlackBerry promises secure BBM Protected chats will work with BBM Protected users on different BES servers with no need for federation.
BBM Protected will work on phones running BlackBerry OS 6.0 or later or BlackBerry 10 in Regulated mode. The company is bringing BBM Protected to BlackBerry Balance phones as well as iOS and Android devices later this year.
The fortified version of BBM is the first product in BlackBerry’s eBBM Suite that the company announced in February.
BlackBerry is getting the ball rolling on eBBM Suite just days after signing a multi-year agreement with EnStream, a mobile payment joint venture between Canadian carriers Bell, Rogers and TELUS.
Both announcements fit with the company’s renewed focus on software and less so on its struggling devices business.